You may earn a maximum of 3 points toward your final grade by doing the above and answering the questions and submitting them ontime (no later than Sunday, January 18 at or before 12:01am). Any worksheets submitted after the deadline will get a 0. You will be rewarded a maximum of 3 points if I judge your work to be above average. You will receive 2 points if your work is average, that is it may have a few minor mistakes in some of the answers but demonstrates correct grammer and indicates that some, but not all, of the answers, are acceptable and well expressed. You will earn only 1 point if you simply answered the questions and/or if you use poor grammar and if there are signs that you have not read the material on which your answers are based.
1. Describe the stasis in the play: where, when, who, what, etc. in a paragraph.
The play is a one woman play that focuses on our character Brenda. She plays all the different people we meet in her life. The Queen's Garden focuses on Brenda's life in the Westside of L.A. which at this time is considered the nasty grungy part of the city. The setting seems to be in late 60's or early 70's.
2. What is the intrusion?
The intrusion is when Brenda meets Kali her future boyfriend. For her time seems to stop and then we get a sense that the play has found its footing. The way the author writes and describes people changes. We can tell that the play is changing. The next part of the play leads into the next intrusion. Brenda and Kali break up and they go their separate ways because Brenda seemingly out grew Kali. These two main characters reunite later in life and Kali seems to have matured significantly. He seems to be successful and doing well for himself. Then we get the next intrusion. Kali and Brenda get involved again and Kali goes to jail for awhile becuause he was a drug lord. Then he gets out and he and Brenda reconnect in a way that brings Brenda back to the westside which she seemed to outgrow but can never escape from. Our last and final intrusion comes at the hands of Kali and his boyhood best friend Smoke. They are at odds over this drug and jail issue. The big intrusion comes at the height of their disagreement and fall from grace in one intense violent moment.
3. What is the unique factor?
The Unique factor is Brenda meets Kali and they start a relationship even though we can tell there is some tension with Brenda and the westside.
4. What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play?
There are a couple of dramatic questions. 1.) Will Kali make it out of the westside? 2.) Will Brenda make it out of the westside? 3.) Will Kali and Brenda ever be able to work as a couple?
5. Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it.
There are two kinds of exposition in this play. 1.) Information known only to one character: This would be at the final intrusion when Smoke and Kali are coming to heads and we find out that Kali actually wants Smoke to kill him. He feels remorse and feels anger for what happened. I think at this time he does not see a future for himself. He thinks this is the only way. 2.) Information known to all or most of the characters: This would be that Kali has not gotten better and is selling drugs. Brenda always loved him and you could see this in the play because he was a motif in her life. He would always find a way to come back into her life. Then something would happen and they would separate again. When they met up for one of the last times he seemed to have grown up a lot and changed but actually he was just selling drugs and making illegal dirty money. I think because Brenda did not want to believe it she ignored some of the obvious signs though there were some strong obvious signs that made it known to the reader that that was what he was doing.
6. Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be.
The most theatrical moment of the play would be the very end when Aunti Mary is killed by none other than Smoke's own son. This is monumental for the core of the play because the play was all about peace. Our author talked about how her ethnicity is a bringing together of all different kinds of backgrounds and races. She lives on the westside of L.A. but goes to a proper school and meets posh white people and she talks about escaping the Westside and bringing the two together peacefully. She seems to do this by breaking that barrier. Then one of her rich friends, Sherry, falls pregnant with Smoke (Kali's best friend) so they get married and have a baby young. Sherry does not go to college but Brenda does. This highlights the unexpected outcome for both women and shows that no matter where you are from life brings you choices and you make your own fate regardless of what you are told. It seems that the motif of peaceful unity is coming true. Then Sherry and Smoke have their baby a perfect combination of old California money and Westside pauper. the True poster child for the next stage of life that Brenda hopes will be brought to L.A. She sees the future in their child. However, this is completely shattered in the end when that same little boy ends up shooting Kali's mother, innocent Aunti Mary and killing her. The issue was between Kali and Smoke and they obviously did not even want to be in that position in the first place. Forces outside of them pushed them to that. Up until the end Aunti Mary tried to get them to talk it out. This represents the shattering of the ideal that Brenda had. The loss of the love she had. The loss of the life she though she might have had with Kali. Aunti Mary's life was lost and Smoke and Sherry's son lost his innocence. His existence no longer represented the bringing together of these two parts of the city as one but represented the destruction of the infantile innocence of unity that had begun to grow within the city.
7. List some of the themes of the play.
Family, Love, Age of innocence, Loss of innocence, classism, race, children, roses, nature, natural order, relationships, water, departure from stereotype, stereotype, ethnicity, island life, etc.
8. What does the narrator want and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of her getting what she wants?
Brenda wants to escape from the Westside and make a life for herself. She also loves the Westside and wants to see it grow by bringing L.A. together as one city finally. She has seen its obvious divide and wants to bridge that gap. She tries to do this by going to get an education and then by coming back and teaching at the school that is for the "losers" she teaches them that they are not losers and that they should respect themselves. She also loves Kali and always has and seemingly always will. I think in her heart of hearts she knows they can never be together because she has outgrown him but she wants to still try for him. The obstacles that stand in the way are fate seemingly. The city and its parts are so tied to their identity and their past loyalties. The idea of scrapping those and bringing them together seems almost impossible. Kali himself also seems to stand in the way of them. He makes it impossible for him and Brenda to continue their life because of the choices he makes and because he tries to get Smoke to kill him.
9. Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play.
The title is called the Queen's Garden. The Queen would be Aunti Mary, Kali's mom. She has a beautiful garden of roses that she sells along the beach and in the shops in L.A. She is the proclaimed queen by Brenda who sees her as the backbone of her childhood and of her city. The title refers to her and her garden of roses. I think this is a big motif because the fact that Brenda describes L.A. as being almost like a concrete wasteland and then we have this beautiful lush natural Garden in the middle highlights again that the impossible is never truly impossible. This runs parallel to Brenda wanting to bring peace and unity to her neighborhood. Some other images are the water. Water is almost always used in literature and art to represent the washing away of past, or darkness, etc. I think the water represents change in the story. Brenda changes a lot in the play and we follow along as she grows and becomes a different person. The water and her surfing shows lots of different changes for her. Whether is be physical change sin the beginning when she first started with Kali or whether it be when she grows up and moves away from her Costal city.
10. Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play.
Family relationships are defined just like in every other situation in the sense that we have our staple nuclear family relationships. We have Brenda and her family. Kali and his mom. But then the play delves into less ordinary and more contemporarily modern family situations. We have Kali and Brenda who lives together. then we have Smoke and Sherry who get married young because Sherry is pregnant. These two relationships become family like connections that are derived in childhood. We also have Brenda's relationship to her neighborhood that in a sense brings about a family air as well. The family motif is expressed throughout the entire play.
You will be rewarded a maximum of 3 points if I judge your work to be above average. You will receive 2 points if your work is average, that is it may have a few minor mistakes in some of the answers but demonstrates correct grammer and indicates that some, but not all, of the answers, are acceptable and well expressed. You will earn only 1 point if you simply answered the questions and/or if you use poor grammar and if there are signs that you have not read the material on which your answers are based.
1. Describe the stasis in the play: where, when, who, what, etc. in a paragraph.
The play is a one woman play that focuses on our character Brenda. She plays all the different people we meet in her life. The Queen's Garden focuses on Brenda's life in the Westside of L.A. which at this time is considered the nasty grungy part of the city. The setting seems to be in late 60's or early 70's.
2. What is the intrusion?
The intrusion is when Brenda meets Kali her future boyfriend. For her time seems to stop and then we get a sense that the play has found its footing. The way the author writes and describes people changes. We can tell that the play is changing. The next part of the play leads into the next intrusion. Brenda and Kali break up and they go their separate ways because Brenda seemingly out grew Kali. These two main characters reunite later in life and Kali seems to have matured significantly. He seems to be successful and doing well for himself. Then we get the next intrusion. Kali and Brenda get involved again and Kali goes to jail for awhile becuause he was a drug lord. Then he gets out and he and Brenda reconnect in a way that brings Brenda back to the westside which she seemed to outgrow but can never escape from. Our last and final intrusion comes at the hands of Kali and his boyhood best friend Smoke. They are at odds over this drug and jail issue. The big intrusion comes at the height of their disagreement and fall from grace in one intense violent moment.
3. What is the unique factor?
The Unique factor is Brenda meets Kali and they start a relationship even though we can tell there is some tension with Brenda and the westside.
4. What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play?
There are a couple of dramatic questions.
1.) Will Kali make it out of the westside?
2.) Will Brenda make it out of the westside?
3.) Will Kali and Brenda ever be able to work as a couple?
5. Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it.
There are two kinds of exposition in this play.
1.) Information known only to one character: This would be at the final intrusion when Smoke and Kali are coming to heads and we find out that Kali actually wants Smoke to kill him. He feels remorse and feels anger for what happened. I think at this time he does not see a future for himself. He thinks this is the only way.
2.) Information known to all or most of the characters: This would be that Kali has not gotten better and is selling drugs. Brenda always loved him and you could see this in the play because he was a motif in her life. He would always find a way to come back into her life. Then something would happen and they would separate again. When they met up for one of the last times he seemed to have grown up a lot and changed but actually he was just selling drugs and making illegal dirty money. I think because Brenda did not want to believe it she ignored some of the obvious signs though there were some strong obvious signs that made it known to the reader that that was what he was doing.
6. Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be.
The most theatrical moment of the play would be the very end when Aunti Mary is killed by none other than Smoke's own son. This is monumental for the core of the play because the play was all about peace. Our author talked about how her ethnicity is a bringing together of all different kinds of backgrounds and races. She lives on the westside of L.A. but goes to a proper school and meets posh white people and she talks about escaping the Westside and bringing the two together peacefully. She seems to do this by breaking that barrier. Then one of her rich friends, Sherry, falls pregnant with Smoke (Kali's best friend) so they get married and have a baby young. Sherry does not go to college but Brenda does. This highlights the unexpected outcome for both women and shows that no matter where you are from life brings you choices and you make your own fate regardless of what you are told. It seems that the motif of peaceful unity is coming true. Then Sherry and Smoke have their baby a perfect combination of old California money and Westside pauper. the True poster child for the next stage of life that Brenda hopes will be brought to L.A. She sees the future in their child. However, this is completely shattered in the end when that same little boy ends up shooting Kali's mother, innocent Aunti Mary and killing her. The issue was between Kali and Smoke and they obviously did not even want to be in that position in the first place. Forces outside of them pushed them to that. Up until the end Aunti Mary tried to get them to talk it out. This represents the shattering of the ideal that Brenda had. The loss of the love she had. The loss of the life she though she might have had with Kali. Aunti Mary's life was lost and Smoke and Sherry's son lost his innocence. His existence no longer represented the bringing together of these two parts of the city as one but represented the destruction of the infantile innocence of unity that had begun to grow within the city.
7. List some of the themes of the play.
Family, Love, Age of innocence, Loss of innocence, classism, race, children, roses, nature, natural order, relationships, water, departure from stereotype, stereotype, ethnicity, island life, etc.
8. What does the narrator want and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of her getting what she wants?
Brenda wants to escape from the Westside and make a life for herself. She also loves the Westside and wants to see it grow by bringing L.A. together as one city finally. She has seen its obvious divide and wants to bridge that gap. She tries to do this by going to get an education and then by coming back and teaching at the school that is for the "losers" she teaches them that they are not losers and that they should respect themselves. She also loves Kali and always has and seemingly always will. I think in her heart of hearts she knows they can never be together because she has outgrown him but she wants to still try for him. The obstacles that stand in the way are fate seemingly. The city and its parts are so tied to their identity and their past loyalties. The idea of scrapping those and bringing them together seems almost impossible. Kali himself also seems to stand in the way of them. He makes it impossible for him and Brenda to continue their life because of the choices he makes and because he tries to get Smoke to kill him.
9. Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play.
The title is called the Queen's Garden. The Queen would be Aunti Mary, Kali's mom. She has a beautiful garden of roses that she sells along the beach and in the shops in L.A. She is the proclaimed queen by Brenda who sees her as the backbone of her childhood and of her city. The title refers to her and her garden of roses. I think this is a big motif because the fact that Brenda describes L.A. as being almost like a concrete wasteland and then we have this beautiful lush natural Garden in the middle highlights again that the impossible is never truly impossible. This runs parallel to Brenda wanting to bring peace and unity to her neighborhood. Some other images are the water. Water is almost always used in literature and art to represent the washing away of past, or darkness, etc. I think the water represents change in the story. Brenda changes a lot in the play and we follow along as she grows and becomes a different person. The water and her surfing shows lots of different changes for her. Whether is be physical change sin the beginning when she first started with Kali or whether it be when she grows up and moves away from her Costal city.
10. Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play.
Family relationships are defined just like in every other situation in the sense that we have our staple nuclear family relationships. We have Brenda and her family. Kali and his mom. But then the play delves into less ordinary and more contemporarily modern family situations. We have Kali and Brenda who lives together. then we have Smoke and Sherry who get married young because Sherry is pregnant. These two relationships become family like connections that are derived in childhood. We also have Brenda's relationship to her neighborhood that in a sense brings about a family air as well. The family motif is expressed throughout the entire play.